Pipeline blasts cut Georgia gas supply Pipeline blasts cut Georgia gas supply
By C.J. Chivers The New York Times
SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2006
MOSCOW Explosions in southern Russia early Sunday severed the country's natural gas pipelines to Georgia, swiftly plunging Russia's neighbor into heat and electricity shortages and causing a sharp diplomatic flare-up between the two nations.
Two more explosions hours later severed one of Russia's main electricity cables to Georgia, increasing the electricity shortage even as the gas supply in Georgia dwindled.
By late afternoon President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia said that gas flow had ceased and electricity would be shut off temporarily in different districts on the grid, rotating the shortages to consumers until the crisis was resolved. He ordered universities closed and said that Georgia was seeking fuel from Iran and Azerbaijan. Emergency propane and oil were being provided to hospitals, he said.
Aleko Khetaguri, Georgia's deputy energy minister, said in a telephone interview that as of Sunday night Georgia was still "supplying electricity to the entire country, but with interruptions."
The shortage was expected to last at least two or three days, while Russian technicians rushed to repair the severed main and reserve lines. Georgia has been experiencing a cold snap, with temperatures hovering just above freezing during the day and dropping below at night.
The break in supply - which also led to shortages in Armenia, which receives gas from Russia after it passes through the Georgian pipeline network - raised fresh questions about Russia's reliability as an energy partner, and exposed anew the tensions between the Russia and Georgia, a nation formerly under Soviet rule that has spurned Moscow in recent years.
Russian officials initially said the explosions appeared to be accidental, but later announced that a criminal investigation had been opened and that the blasts were acts of sabotage, perhaps by insurgents using makeshift bombs.
Saakashvili rejected the description, saying the incident seemed designed to put political and economic pressure on Georgia, which since 2003 has been pursuing a strongly pro-Western course.
"We don't think it is accidental in any way," Saakashvili said in a telephone interview from Tbilisi, the capital. "The places where it happened, the environment in which it happened, the history in which it happened - this all looks like a policy decision."
No group claimed immediate responsibility for sabotage, and Saakashvili noted that none of the guerrilla or terrorist bands in the region, which often act in coordination with Islamic separatists in nearby Chechnya, had threatened Georgia.
Rather, Saakashvili said, the interruption came as Russia has been pressuring Georgia to sell its gas pipeline network to Moscow and officials on several levels of the Russian government have been issuing veiled threats.
He compared the gas shortage to the recent pricing dispute between Russia and Ukraine, which led to Russia's briefly cutting flow for Ukraine, and widespread Western criticism of Russia's handling of the affair. "This is not civilized behavior," he said.
A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin of Russia dismissed Saakashvili's characterization, suggesting that the notion either the Kremlin or Gazprom, Russia's gas monopoly, would destroy sections of its own pipelines was absurd.
"If he is postulating that Gazprom or Moscow was standing behind these explosions, I don't think that there is any need for comment on this," said the spokesman, Dmitri Peskov.
Four explosions on Russia's side of the border created the disruption, Georgian and Russian officials said. The first two occurred roughly simultaneously before sunrise, severing both the main and reserve gas pipelines into Georgia. Later, two more explosions damaged a power transmission cable.
Khetaguri, the deputy energy minister, said that as a result of the explosions Georgia had lost all gas flow and roughly a quarter of its electricity, including that generated by domestic turbines powered by Russian gas.
Gas provides heat and cooking fuel in many of Georgia's urban households, he said, but in the countryside many homes are warmed with wood or kerosene.
Khetaguri said he expected that repairs to the main line would take three days and to the reserve line, one month. Repairs to the electric transmission line, which provides roughly 5 percent of Georgia's electricity, would take about a week, he said.
Georgia now depends entirely on gas supplies from Russia, but it is planning on importing gas from Azerbaijan and Central Asia late this year, when construction is completed on a new network from the Caspian Sea. It also has shifted its electricity supply to get more energy from Turkey and Armenia.
Officials in Armenia said that the situation was not as dire, as the country had fuel reserves. Still, the officials called for conservation and said some non-essential customers would have their electricity cut, according to wire reports.
MOSCOW Explosions in southern Russia early Sunday severed the country's natural gas pipelines to Georgia, swiftly plunging Russia's neighbor into heat and electricity shortages and causing a sharp diplomatic flare-up between the two nations.
Two more explosions hours later severed one of Russia's main electricity cables to Georgia, increasing the electricity shortage even as the gas supply in Georgia dwindled.
By late afternoon President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia said that gas flow had ceased and electricity would be shut off temporarily in different districts on the grid, rotating the shortages to consumers until the crisis was resolved. He ordered universities closed and said that Georgia was seeking fuel from Iran and Azerbaijan. Emergency propane and oil were being provided to hospitals, he said.
Aleko Khetaguri, Georgia's deputy energy minister, said in a telephone interview that as of Sunday night Georgia was still "supplying electricity to the entire country, but with interruptions."
The shortage was expected to last at least two or three days, while Russian technicians rushed to repair the severed main and reserve lines. Georgia has been experiencing a cold snap, with temperatures hovering just above freezing during the day and dropping below at night.
The break in supply - which also led to shortages in Armenia, which receives gas from Russia after it passes through the Georgian pipeline network - raised fresh questions about Russia's reliability as an energy partner, and exposed anew the tensions between the Russia and Georgia, a nation formerly under Soviet rule that has spurned Moscow in recent years.
Russian officials initially said the explosions appeared to be accidental, but later announced that a criminal investigation had been opened and that the blasts were acts of sabotage, perhaps by insurgents using makeshift bombs.
Saakashvili rejected the description, saying the incident seemed designed to put political and economic pressure on Georgia, which since 2003 has been pursuing a strongly pro-Western course.
"We don't think it is accidental in any way," Saakashvili said in a telephone interview from Tbilisi, the capital. "The places where it happened, the environment in which it happened, the history in which it happened - this all looks like a policy decision."
No group claimed immediate responsibility for sabotage, and Saakashvili noted that none of the guerrilla or terrorist bands in the region, which often act in coordination with Islamic separatists in nearby Chechnya, had threatened Georgia.
Rather, Saakashvili said, the interruption came as Russia has been pressuring Georgia to sell its gas pipeline network to Moscow and officials on several levels of the Russian government have been issuing veiled threats.
He compared the gas shortage to the recent pricing dispute between Russia and Ukraine, which led to Russia's briefly cutting flow for Ukraine, and widespread Western criticism of Russia's handling of the affair. "This is not civilized behavior," he said.
A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin of Russia dismissed Saakashvili's characterization, suggesting that the notion either the Kremlin or Gazprom, Russia's gas monopoly, would destroy sections of its own pipelines was absurd.
"If he is postulating that Gazprom or Moscow was standing behind these explosions, I don't think that there is any need for comment on this," said the spokesman, Dmitri Peskov.
Four explosions on Russia's side of the border created the disruption, Georgian and Russian officials said. The first two occurred roughly simultaneously before sunrise, severing both the main and reserve gas pipelines into Georgia. Later, two more explosions damaged a power transmission cable.
Khetaguri, the deputy energy minister, said that as a result of the explosions Georgia had lost all gas flow and roughly a quarter of its electricity, including that generated by domestic turbines powered by Russian gas.
Gas provides heat and cooking fuel in many of Georgia's urban households, he said, but in the countryside many homes are warmed with wood or kerosene.
Khetaguri said he expected that repairs to the main line would take three days and to the reserve line, one month. Repairs to the electric transmission line, which provides roughly 5 percent of Georgia's electricity, would take about a week, he said.
Georgia now depends entirely on gas supplies from Russia, but it is planning on importing gas from Azerbaijan and Central Asia late this year, when construction is completed on a new network from the Caspian Sea. It also has shifted its electricity supply to get more energy from Turkey and Armenia.
Officials in Armenia said that the situation was not as dire, as the country had fuel reserves. Still, the officials called for conservation and said some non-essential customers would have their electricity cut, according to wire reports.
MOSCOW Explosions in southern Russia early Sunday severed the country's natural gas pipelines to Georgia, swiftly plunging Russia's neighbor into heat and electricity shortages and causing a sharp diplomatic flare-up between the two nations.
Two more explosions hours later severed one of Russia's main electricity cables to Georgia, increasing the electricity shortage even as the gas supply in Georgia dwindled.
By late afternoon President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia said that gas flow had ceased and electricity would be shut off temporarily in different districts on the grid, rotating the shortages to consumers until the crisis was resolved. He ordered universities closed and said that Georgia was seeking fuel from Iran and Azerbaijan. Emergency propane and oil were being provided to hospitals, he said.
Aleko Khetaguri, Georgia's deputy energy minister, said in a telephone interview that as of Sunday night Georgia was still "supplying electricity to the entire country, but with interruptions."
The shortage was expected to last at least two or three days, while Russian technicians rushed to repair the severed main and reserve lines. Georgia has been experiencing a cold snap, with temperatures hovering just above freezing during the day and dropping below at night.
The break in supply - which also led to shortages in Armenia, which receives gas from Russia after it passes through the Georgian pipeline network - raised fresh questions about Russia's reliability as an energy partner, and exposed anew the tensions between the Russia and Georgia, a nation formerly under Soviet rule that has spurned Moscow in recent years.
Russian officials initially said the explosions appeared to be accidental, but later announced that a criminal investigation had been opened and that the blasts were acts of sabotage, perhaps by insurgents using makeshift bombs.
Saakashvili rejected the description, saying the incident seemed designed to put political and economic pressure on Georgia, which since 2003 has been pursuing a strongly pro-Western course.
"We don't think it is accidental in any way," Saakashvili said in a telephone interview from Tbilisi, the capital. "The places where it happened, the environment in which it happened, the history in which it happened - this all looks like a policy decision."
No group claimed immediate responsibility for sabotage, and Saakashvili noted that none of the guerrilla or terrorist bands in the region, which often act in coordination with Islamic separatists in nearby Chechnya, had threatened Georgia.
Rather, Saakashvili said, the interruption came as Russia has been pressuring Georgia to sell its gas pipeline network to Moscow and officials on several levels of the Russian government have been issuing veiled threats.
He compared the gas shortage to the recent pricing dispute between Russia and Ukraine, which led to Russia's briefly cutting flow for Ukraine, and widespread Western criticism of Russia's handling of the affair. "This is not civilized behavior," he said.
A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin of Russia dismissed Saakashvili's characterization, suggesting that the notion either the Kremlin or Gazprom, Russia's gas monopoly, would destroy sections of its own pipelines was absurd.
"If he is postulating that Gazprom or Moscow was standing behind these explosions, I don't think that there is any need for comment on this," said the spokesman, Dmitri Peskov.
Four explosions on Russia's side of the border created the disruption, Georgian and Russian officials said. The first two occurred roughly simultaneously before sunrise, severing both the main and reserve gas pipelines into Georgia. Later, two more explosions damaged a power transmission cable.
Khetaguri, the deputy energy minister, said that as a result of the explosions Georgia had lost all gas flow and roughly a quarter of its electricity, including that generated by domestic turbines powered by Russian gas.
Gas provides heat and cooking fuel in many of Georgia's urban households, he said, but in the countryside many homes are warmed with wood or kerosene.
Khetaguri said he expected that repairs to the main line would take three days and to the reserve line, one month. Repairs to the electric transmission line, which provides roughly 5 percent of Georgia's electricity, would take about a week, he said.
Georgia now depends entirely on gas supplies from Russia, but it is planning on importing gas from Azerbaijan and Central Asia late this year, when construction is completed on a new network from the Caspian Sea. It also has shifted its electricity supply to get more energy from Turkey and Armenia.
Officials in Armenia said that the situation was not as dire, as the country had fuel reserves. Still, the officials called for conservation and said some non-essential customers would have their electricity cut, according to wire reports.
MOSCOW Explosions in southern Russia early Sunday severed the country's natural gas pipelines to Georgia, swiftly plunging Russia's neighbor into heat and electricity shortages and causing a sharp diplomatic flare-up between the two nations.
Two more explosions hours later severed one of Russia's main electricity cables to Georgia, increasing the electricity shortage even as the gas supply in Georgia dwindled.
By late afternoon President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia said that gas flow had ceased and electricity would be shut off temporarily in different districts on the grid, rotating the shortages to consumers until the crisis was resolved. He ordered universities closed and said that Georgia was seeking fuel from Iran and Azerbaijan. Emergency propane and oil were being provided to hospitals, he said.
Aleko Khetaguri, Georgia's deputy energy minister, said in a telephone interview that as of Sunday night Georgia was still "supplying electricity to the entire country, but with interruptions."
The shortage was expected to last at least two or three days, while Russian technicians rushed to repair the severed main and reserve lines. Georgia has been experiencing a cold snap, with temperatures hovering just above freezing during the day and dropping below at night.
The break in supply - which also led to shortages in Armenia, which receives gas from Russia after it passes through the Georgian pipeline network - raised fresh questions about Russia's reliability as an energy partner, and exposed anew the tensions between the Russia and Georgia, a nation formerly under Soviet rule that has spurned Moscow in recent years.
Russian officials initially said the explosions appeared to be accidental, but later announced that a criminal investigation had been opened and that the blasts were acts of sabotage, perhaps by insurgents using makeshift bombs.
Saakashvili rejected the description, saying the incident seemed designed to put political and economic pressure on Georgia, which since 2003 has been pursuing a strongly pro-Western course.
"We don't think it is accidental in any way," Saakashvili said in a telephone interview from Tbilisi, the capital. "The places where it happened, the environment in which it happened, the history in which it happened - this all looks like a policy decision."
No group claimed immediate responsibility for sabotage, and Saakashvili noted that none of the guerrilla or terrorist bands in the region, which often act in coordination with Islamic separatists in nearby Chechnya, had threatened Georgia.
Rather, Saakashvili said, the interruption came as Russia has been pressuring Georgia to sell its gas pipeline network to Moscow and officials on several levels of the Russian government have been issuing veiled threats.
He compared the gas shortage to the recent pricing dispute between Russia and Ukraine, which led to Russia's briefly cutting flow for Ukraine, and widespread Western criticism of Russia's handling of the affair. "This is not civilized behavior," he said.